I really do have some amazing friends.  Last night, I went to see my good friend Andrew and all my other friends at NADOS (amateur dramatics), in their performance of ‘Honk’ the musical.  Another award winning performance by an incredible society who I am proud to be involved with.  The show is on until Sat 29^Th August and I recommend you go and see it.  A story of about being different, acceptance and forgiveness.

It was also great to see whilst flicking through the ‘Honk’ program our Fortunatus advert promoting our Unity Lottery and Christmas cards.  You can sign up for our Unity lottery via our website giving you a chance to win up to £25,000!  Half of the money raised by the lottery goes back to our tenants.

http://www.fortunatushousing.co.uk/fundraising-and-events/unity-lottery/

We are also accepting pre-orders for our new Fortunatus Christmas cards which feature some fabulous designs.  £3 for a pack of 10 and all proceeds go straight to our vulnerable tenants to give them a better life.

Get your orders in, they are already selling fast!

http://www.fortunatushousing.co.uk/fundraising-and-events/charity-xmas-cards/

So, remember on my last Blog I mentioned we were having a BBQ to mark our two year anniversary?  What a day we had!  I had some great feedback from my staff and guests on how much they enjoyed it and that really gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.  Not as warm as the Piri Piri sausages that Julian cooked on the day, they were pretty spicy!  I know now that if there was an alternative Olympics which included Swingball and Jenga, Fortunatus would have some medal hopefuls.  Our next event will probably be the Christmas party and if the BBQ was anything to go by, then we’re in for a memorable night!

Now as you know….. Fortunatus is in some ways a property ‘empire’!  Ok, we house vulnerable adults but after a recent experience with Julian I am considering expansion!  Picture the scene, a cosy cottage, a romantic evening, some candle’s, a glass of wine and me, being surrounded in money……and a look of despair from Julian.  Yes that’s right folks, on our recent trip to Pendle for our 11^th wedding anniversary, I beat Julian hands down at Monopoly (& Scrabble…)!!!  I am a property magnet, owning Park Lane and Mayfair (& all the stations)… oh hang on, I’ve just remembered it’s just a board game but the point is…. I WON!  (Sorry Julian) xxx

We had a great trip and stayed in the stunning village of Barley overlooking Pendle Hill.  The weather was sunny, warm and we stayed in a really beautiful cottage.  There’s not much in Barley (which adds to its charm), so on our actual anniversary, Julian and I went to Barnoldswick (Pronounced ‘Barlick’) by the locals and then off to Clitheroe castle.  The highlight of the day was the evening though.  Sitting together, on the patio of the cottage watching the shooting stars in the clear night time sky.  It was very romantic.

Check out our website soon folks for new photos of myself and the team.  My good college friend Cath Ford came into Fortunatus this week to take photos of everyone.  We got some great pics, they turned out really well.  Cath is a community artist from Blackburn and creates some amazing pieces.  You should take a look at her website to see where she exhibits and where you can buy some of her incredible work.  She’s a true talent.

http://www.cathintheattic.com/

Time to go, don’t forget to order your Christmas cards everyone.  I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Bye for now,

Catherine xx

Would you believe it?  Two years since we set up at our current location here so we’re marking the event with a company BBQ this week.  It’s been a busy two years and I don’t know where the time has gone, it’s been amazing though!  So for the afternoon there will be beer, burgers, bangers and party games to celebrate with my incredible work family.  It will be a great afternoon!

I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine…his name is George … he’s only small, covered in spots and lives in the town hall with the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington.  His full name is HashtagTeddyGeorge and he’s the faithful companion of the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting George along with other dignitaries and members of the local community at the Warrington Charities Trust presentation I attended with Julian a few weeks ago.  We were there to receive a cheque for £455 which has been awarded to us to go towards helping our vulnerable adults.  It was a great honour to be there and I really enjoyed myself and now that I am following HashtagTeddyGeorge on Facebook, I can see what else he is up to!

Remember in my last blog I mentioned about the possibility of becoming a finalist in the IRRV Performance Awards ‘Excellence in Innovation’ category? Drum roll please…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

WE DID IT!!  We are finalists!  This is amazing news for Fortunatus for our App Engage.  The awards will be held at the beginning of October and I am so excited about this.  The company is going exactly in the direction I want it to and I couldn’t be more proud.  I’ll naturally keep you all updated!  If you haven’t seen our App yet then take a look, I think you’ll like it!

http://www.fortunatushousing.co.uk/fundraising-and-events/engage-app/

So Julian and I are refreshed from our holiday in Corfu.  We had a great time and met some really nice people.  Just what we needed.  Two weeks of sun I can highly recommend and if you have never been to Corfu Town then it’s a must!  Julian and I particularly liked to go back to our favourite place in Parga which was Veneziano Restaurant (http://www.veneziano.parga.com/).  Sitting there on the harbour enjoying a glass of vino is bliss!

So back in the office for a while now but another trip on the horizon to celebrate our 11 year anniversary.  Seemingly steel is the traditional gift for 11 years and fashion jewellery is the modern alternative.  I really hope Julian gets it right!  We’re going to the Pendle Hills for a mini-break…. Scene of the Pendle Witch Trials in 1612.  The area is steeped in history with spooky places like ‘Gallows Lane’ to walk down, I think we better keep an eye out for any suspicious characters!  Mind you, I played the witch in the local amateur dramatics version of The Wizard of Oz so perhaps I can give them some costume tips!

See you all soon my pretties………..

Catherine xx